The invention relates to methods and apparatus for remotely, quickly producing conditioned cue signals in the form of precisely measured, progressively increasing degrees of electrical stimulation signals applied to the animal by a collar-mounted receiver-stimulator unit worn by the animal. If the initial conditioned cue stimulus fails to cause the animal to conform to an expected behavior, the degree of conditioned cue stimulation can be precisely, progressively increased.
For a number of years the present assignee has manufactured and marketed remote dog training devices that each include a remote control hand-held radio transmitter and a collar-mounted lightweight radio receiver with associated electronic circuitry that detects coded radio signals from the transmitter unit and then delivers electrical stimulus signals to the dog. A problem that the assignee has spent years attempting to solve is that of providing optimum stimulus levels to the dog for particular training situations. Some of the assignee's previously marketed devices that generate remote electrical stimulus to a dog in response to pressing of a button on the remote transmitter also first actuate an audible buzzer which can be heard by the dog at close range.
Unfortunately, the degree of electrical stimulation that will be most effective in training a dog is greatly dependent on the attentiveness of the dog to the trainer. In a typical training situation a fairly low level of electrical stimulation selectively applied by the trainer (by actuating the remote transmitter) will be very effective in accomplishing the desired training goals if used by a skilled trainer in accordance with good dog training practice. However, if an event occurs that greatly distracts the dog, for example if another dog appears, a cat runs by, or a male dog smells a nearby female animal in heat, the degree of electrical stimulation may be inadequate. In other instances, the level of stimulation that the collar-mounted receiver-stimulator unit is capable of producing may be much more intense than is needed and may tend to overwhelm the dog. It is known that too great an electrical PG,4 stimulus applied to the animal being trained under a particular set of conditions may have a bad overall affect on the dog's emotional well-being, just as excessively intense spanking inappropriate to the circumstances would be bad for a human child's emotional well-being. On the other hand, good dog training practice requires that the electrical stimulation must be sufficient to achieve the desired training objectives.
If the trainer is unable to apply an appropriate degree of stimulation that will prevent the dog from engaging in the undesired behavior, i.e., chasing the rabbit, the dog, which already knows as a result of prior training that the behavior is undesired, now learns that it can get away with the undesired behavior because the trainer did not take any immediate effective deterrent action (because the dog, due to the high level of distraction, did not even feel the stimulation that the trainer actually applied). The dog therefore believes that it now is somewhat acceptable to engage in the undesired behavior. The net effect of this scenario is that a large backward step in the training of the dog has just been taken.
The technique and apparatus described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,482, issued Feb. 7, 1989, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REMOTE CONTROL OF ANIMAL TRAINING STIMULUS" by Gerald Gonda et al., incorporated herein by reference, provides further flexibility to an animal trainer by enabling the trainer to immediately, remotely provide varying degrees of electrical stimulation to meet the needs of a training situation wherein there are rapid variations in the distraction levels to which the animal is exposed. However, that apparatus and technique does not allow use of very subtle conditioned stimulus to get the dog's attention.
The known remote training devices either operate in accordance with remotely controlled punishment or correction training techniques that attempt to cause the animal to stop a behavior by applying painful or uncomfortable stimulus, or by continuously applying increasing levels of stimulation (which are not necessarily painful or uncomfortable) until the animal responds as desired.
Many dog owners and professional dog trainers know that when a dog is held by a leash, and begins to deviate from a pre-established level of expected behavior to which the dog has been previously trained to conform, mild attention-getting techniques, such as abrupt jerking of the leash and short commands in a stern, raised voice are often effective if the dog knows that continued disobedience will result in immediate or uncomfortable stimulus, such as harder jerking of the leash or more severe scolding. However, if the leash is removed, such techniques apparently have been considered to be unsatisfactory. It has not been recognized how mild attention-getting techniques that are workable with a dog held captive by a leash could be effective with remote controlled electrical stimulus training devices.
There is a need for a more effective technique and apparatus for applying subtle stimulus to cause an animal to conform to expected, pre-established behavior with less discomfort to the animal than has been previously achievable.